Industry & Economy
-
Tourism
Higher oil prices have had little impact on tourism: WTO
Sankar Radhakrishnan
Thiruvananthapuram
,
Nov. 16
HIGHER oil prices in recent months have had only a limited impact on the growth of international tourism says the World Tourism Organisation.
In a report to be published next month, the organisation says that till now, the impact of high oil prices on international tourism has been slight. So far, the imposition of fuel surcharges by many airlines does not appear to have discouraged air travel, the report says. Latest figures from the International Air Transport Association show that passenger traffic from January to September this year increased by 8.3 per cent. Airlines from West Asia and Africa reported double digit growth in this period, the report adds.
According to Mr Francesco Frangialli, Secretary-General, World Tourism Organisation, in the past, oil price peaks had a significant negative impact on tourism through the economy at large, but on this occasion the global economy has remained relatively steady and inflationary pressure appears to be limited for the moment. However, he adds that, "continuing high oil prices may also affect tourist flows to developing nations as their airlines' capacity to absorb such increase is significantly lower." As a result, tourism to these countries may be affected if transport costs rise further, the report adds.
Article
E-Mail
::
Comment
::
Syndication
::
Printer Friendly Page
|
